by Akart, Bobby
They took nothing for granted as they made their way south toward Henry River Mill Village and the Haven. Every overpass was a cause for closer scrutiny. Each stranded motorist might have a weapon to ambush you. You just never know where the bend in the road might take you.
“Tom?” she asked uneasily.
“I’m not surprised, dear. I’ve felt like they do for hundreds of miles.”
Donna managed a laugh and nodded her head. “What should we do?”
“Let me reintroduce myself. Wait here.”
Tom stepped out of the Yukon and immediately raised his hands high over his head. He was still wearing his Navy cap. “I’m Commander Tom Shelton, U.S. Navy Retired. My wife and I—”
“Welcome home, Commander!” Alpha’s booming baritone voice was unmistakable.
“Alpha, I never thought I’d say it’s good to hear your voice.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, Commander. Please, sir, lower your arms.” Alpha turned to his men and instructed them to lower their weapons and open the gates. He and Tom shook hands and shared a bro-hug, a friendly gesture signaling to Donna that it was safe to join them.
“Hello, Alpha,” she began. “You are a sight for sore eyes.”
“Well, two nice compliments in one day,” Alpha said with a laugh. “My sizable head might swell up a couple more notches.”
“We’ve had an interesting, but rough journey,” said Donna. She glanced back at the front of the Yukon. She hadn’t seen it from that perspective yet. The red paint on the hood looked like they’d plowed over half a dozen zombies on a country road.
“Apparently,” said Alpha. He took a moment to apologize and explain that his men needed to inspect their vehicle as part of the check-in process. While they did their due diligence, the conversation continued.
“How are things here?” asked Tom.
“Hittin’ on all cylinders,” Alpha replied. “People are still arriving, and we’ve added some new residents since you were here last. They’re all a nice fit for the Haven.”
“Are you keeping Ryan straight?” asked Tom.
“Oh, yeah. You know Mr. Smart, he’s all work and no play. I’ll say this, his due diligence and planning has paid off. From the moment they sensed trouble, every aspect of what we’d worked towards was set into motion. We established our security and had reached out to almost all of the property owners before dawn on New Year’s Day.”
Donna yawned and wrapped her arm through her husband’s to support her tired body. She addressed a concern of hers. “That’s good. Say, you mentioned some new folks. Are any of them medical personnel? I took a nasty tumble and hurt my ankle.”
“Yes, ma’am. Blair recruited a top-notch ER doc and her husband, a firefighter who’s also an EMT. They can fix you up.”
“Great,” said Donna. “Listen, where is their cabin located? I’d like to see her about something.”
Tom glanced over at his wife’s face and gave her a puzzled look. It appeared she was talking about something more than a simple sprained ankle.
Alpha responded, “Well, they’re actually not that far from you guys, but they’re not here yet.”
“Oh. Are they on their way?”
“I don’t know, honestly. I’ve been on the front gate for a few hours, and as of this morning, Blair hadn’t heard from them.”
“Okay,” said a dejected Donna. She turned to go back to the truck and then she stopped to ask, “Where are they coming from?”
“Richmond, I think,” replied Alpha.
The Sheltons exchanged looks and shook their heads. Alpha noticed the odd reaction, so he asked, “Is that bad?”
Tom kicked at the gravel and then stepped closer to Alpha. “Richmond is FUBAR. If they haven’t left yet, they’re probably up to their eyeballs.”
Chapter Forty-Three
X-Ray’s Cabin
The Haven
Ryan and Cort toured the entire perimeter of the Haven, reviewed several of the newer buildings, and discussed Cort’s role going forward. Cort was more than happy to stay out of Ryan’s relationship with the security team. Ryan had an excellent rapport with Alpha and the others, while Cort was not really a military type. Cort said that if anyone wanted to have a discussion about international diplomacy, he was their guy. Otherwise, he’d leave the nuts and bolts of perimeter security to Ryan.
The two men strengthened their rapport, and by the end of the afternoon, they were discussing the residents. Ryan told Cort a little bit about their newest addition to the community, as well as the intrigue surrounding his background.
“Cort, I can tell you now that Blair and I didn’t just accept every applicant into the Haven, including your family. Most of the folks here don’t realize that we surreptitiously recruited them. When we developed the concept, we sat down and identified all our needs. Then we set about finding people who could fill them, and who were likely open to the concept. Frankly, you were one of the rare exceptions to that process. When you contacted us about the Haven, I was a little shocked considering your position in government. I thought you’d have contingency plans using military protection.”
Cort laughed a little. “Well, unfortunately, I’m one ladder rung below the top. If I were chief of staff to a cabinet member, then Meredith and I would be hunkered down in a bunker somewhere.”
“Or unemployed, right?” asked Ryan with a chuckle.
“That’s true. The bloodletting opened a lot of eyes, to be sure. Here’s the thing that everyone was reminded of after the president cleaned house. We all serve at the pleasure of the President of the United States. Cabinet members. Top military brass. Department heads. Even chiefs of staff, to an extent. The day of the bloodletting, I phoned Meredith and told her I was glad my boss didn’t take the Defense Secretary position he was offered after General Mad Dog Mattis resigned. Senator McNeil seriously considered the offer, but as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, he was already one of the most influential politicians in Washington.”
Ryan was curious. “Why did you reach out to us?”
Cort sighed. “It was based upon a conversation I had with my father-in-law some time back. It was a good idea, especially considering what I know about the nation-states that hate us. However, my wife was going through a period in which she didn’t want her father, quote, meddling, unquote, in our lives.” Cort gestured with both hands to create air quotes.
“Daughters can be like that, I guess,” added Ryan.
Cort shrugged and continued. “One day when I found myself stuck in an airport waiting on a delayed flight, I was bouncing around Facebook, looking at preparedness groups, and I saw someone mention the Haven. They provided a link to another page that discussed the concept in general terms, but never disclosed the location. I liked the idea, and based upon my father-in-law’s suggestion, I followed up with a direct message. I never heard anything again for weeks and had frankly forgotten about it.”
Ryan hesitated and then smiled. He leaned over and lowered his voice. “Well, we didn’t forget about you. Please don’t be offended at this, but, Cort, after your inquiry, Blair began to conduct some research on you and your family. We vet everyone that shows an interest for the reasons I said a minute ago and to make sure you’ll coalesce with the group as a whole. By the time she reached out to you to pursue your inquiry, we’d compiled a pretty extensive file on you guys and determined you’d be a great fit for the Haven.”
Cort leaned against the passenger seat and studied Ryan. “What did you say you did before you started this project? Counterintelligence?”
Ryan laughed. “Yeah, right. I’d never pass their vetting process. No, Blair and I are students of reality television. The best way to learn about your fellow man is to take them out of their comfort zone and place them under the microscope of a camera. Pretty soon, you learn what they’re all about. We kinda do the same thing with our recruits.”
Cort adjusted his seat and nodded. “Yeah, I see.”
&nbs
p; “Ryan, our process was intrusive and an invasion of privacy. But lives are at stake, including ours. If we bring the wrong person through those gates for an interview and reject them, they might come back with a larger group and try to take what we have. We’ve only rejected a few families, most recently on New Year’s Eve. It’s the kind of thing that keeps me up at night. Concealment is our friend.”
Ryan wheeled the Ranger down the hill toward the banks of the Henry River. He pointed ahead to X-Ray’s cabin. Seconds later, he pulled up to the front door and X-Ray emerged onto the porch.
“Come on, Cort. I want you to meet our newest addition.”
X-ray waved and motioned for them to come inside. “Hey, guys! It’s a lot warmer in here. I’m working on that barbed-wire phone project I was telling you about.”
“Barbed-wire phone?” asked Cort with a puzzled look on his face.
Ryan laughed and motioned for Cort to lead the way. “Yeah, X-Ray is our resident tech nerd. Is that fair to say?”
X-Ray shrugged and laughed. “Well, I guess if you call an old-school, wild-wild-west telephone system technology, then you’re right.”
Once they were inside, Cort marveled at the extensive spread of electronics, monitors and computer systems that filled the cabin. X-Ray began the introductions by shaking Cort’s hand.
X-Ray was in a jovial mood. “My name is Walter O’Reilly, but everybody calls me X-Ray, even before I arrived at the Haven.”
“Like the corporal on M*A*S*H?” asked Cort. “I used to watch that show as a kid.”
“That’s right. It’s kind of a long story. It’s a nickname my grandfather gave me, and I guess I grew into it, sorta.”
“X-ray, this is Michael Cortland. He’s from Mobile but works in Washington for a senator.”
Cort towered over X-Ray. “Everyone calls me Cort. It’s a nickname I’ve been stuck with for a long time.”
X-ray’s demeanor suddenly changed. He turned tense and began rubbing his fingers on his palms. Neither Cort nor Ryan noticed his nervousness.
“Nice to meet you, Cort,” said X-ray as he quickly turned his back to his guests. “Um, let me show you what I’ve got going on with the, um, phone design.”
He sat down in a chair at his computer and powered up a screen that contained a schematic of the Haven’s perimeter. It identified the river boundary as well as the existing block walls. Just as X-Ray was about to explain, Ryan’s phone rang.
“Excuse me, guys. I need to take this.”
“Okay,” mumbled X-Ray.
Ryan politely stepped away from the computers and wandered toward the fire. “Go ahead, Bravo.”
He began to pace. “Why?
“How many? Six? That’s overkill, don’t you think?
“Does he have a—?
“No, hell no. Don’t let him in. Tell him… You know what, hang on. I’ll be there in a minute and tell him myself.”
Ryan disconnected the call and turned to a curious Cort. “Cort, we need to head over to the front gate. X-Ray, I’m sorry, but this’ll have to wait.”
X-Ray spun around in his chair and held both hands in the air. “Hey, no problem. You know where to find me. Um, nice to meet you, Cort.”
Cort waved goodbye and darted out the door to catch up with Ryan, who was already getting into the Ranger.
X-Ray followed Cort to the door and quickly closed it behind him. Then he made his way to the edge of the window frame and peered around the corner, watching the Ranger make its way up the hill and under the tree canopy that covered the gravel trail.
He exhaled, breathing normally for the first time in several minutes. He furiously rubbed his hands on his jeans to dry his sweaty palms. After wiping his brow on his sleeve, he began pacing the floor.
After a minute, he took a deep breath and made his way to the fireplace. He stood on the hearth and wiggled the fireplace mantel until it loosened on its brackets. X-Ray glanced once more toward the front window, and satisfied Ryan hadn’t returned, he took the mantel off the stone wall, revealing a missing river rock the size of his fist.
Another deep breath later, he set the mantel aside and retrieved a ZTE flip phone from the small space. The Tracphone was one of several in his possession that he’d purchased from a Walmart on the way to the Haven. The untraceable burner phones, as they were called, allowed him to create an anonymous phone account with a number from anywhere in the world. This particular phone was assigned a 307 area code that was somewhere in Wyoming.
X-Ray ran his thumb across the numbers of the flip phone. He closed his eyes and steadied his nerves. He opened the text message app and began to type. He had to choose his words carefully so they weren’t misconstrued.
The eagle’s mark is in sight.
X-Ray set the phone down on his dining table as if it had shocked him with ten thousand volts. The device spun around in a circle for a moment before stopping.
Now he waited. Will they respond? I’ve done what I was supposed to do, right?
He paced the floor again, waiting for a response. He was hovering nervously near the front window, fearful that Ryan and Cort would return unexpectedly. He contemplated replacing the hearth and simply hiding the burner phone somewhere more accessible. Or perhaps he’d just throw it in the Henry River, never to be seen again. That would be an easy solution.
Except he’d already sent the text. The door was open. You couldn’t delete a sent text.
The eagle’s mark…
Buzzzz.
A response. X-Ray hesitated at first; then he walked to the table. He didn’t touch the phone, as if somehow his fingerprints would implicate him in something sinister. He turned his head sideways in order to look at the display head-on.
Tell no one.
Will advise.
Godspeed, Patriot.
MM
Chapter Forty-Four
Front Gate
The Haven
“Do you want me to handle this so you don’t have to get your hands dirty?” asked Cort. “I’d hate to see my Yale law degree go to waste just because of the apocalypse.”
Ryan smiled. “Nah, I know this guy. Sheriff Bragg has been pretty nosy from the day we started building the block walls around our perimeter. It seemed the more we closed off our property, the more he felt he had a right to know what’s going on.”
“It’s kinda like driving down a country road and you suddenly come across the iron gate and you wanna know what’s behind it,” added Cort.
“Exactly. Nobody needs to know the extent of our preps, even the local sheriff. What puzzles me is why he felt the need to bring two carloads of deputies with him.”
“Intimidation,” Cort quickly responded. “It’s a classic technique when law enforcement investigators are trying to bull their way into a place they don’t belong. He doesn’t have a warrant, and mere speculation is insufficient to enter your private property. By bringing a show of force, he hopes you’ll be afraid and back down.”
Ryan laughed as they approached the gate. “Wrongo.” He parked the Ranger, and the two men quickly exited to join the standoff between Bravo, Charlie, and Burke County’s finest.
“Good afternoon, Sheriff,” Ryan greeted in a monotone voice.
“Mr. Smart,” the sheriff responded, together with a tip of his hat. “This doesn’t have to turn into a big production. We’re conducting an investigation of a crime in the area, and we’d like to take a look around.”
“My people said you wouldn’t be specific about what it is you expect to find here.”
“Well, it’s an ongoing investigation,” the sheriff replied.
“I understand, but what does that have to do with us?” asked Ryan. “We’ve not reported anything to the sheriff’s office.”
The sheriff pressed on. “We have reason to believe that someone from your—” he hesitated before continuing “—your community, um, might have some knowledge of a reported theft on an adjacent farm.”
Cort detected the sheriff�
��s hesitancy and the way he spoke the word community. He decided to step in. “Sheriff, I’m an attorney. I understand you don’t have a warrant, am I correct?”
“Yes, for now, but—”
Cort cut him off. “Do you have someone that you’d specifically like to speak with?”
“Well, no.”
“And do you have anyone that is a specific target of your investigation?”
“No, not yet. But we would like to take a look around and speak—”
Cort was unafraid to challenge the sheriff’s authority. He turned and swung his left arm around behind him, prompting the sheriff and his deputies to look past where Cort and Ryan were standing.
“Is there anything visible to you that constitutes evidence or might be associated with the crime you’re investigating.”
“No, of course not,” he replied sheepishly.
The sheriff backed down and his shoulders slumped. Cort inwardly smiled as he recognized the sheriff’s look of defeat.
Ryan tried to pry out the purpose of the sheriff’s intrusion. “Look, Sheriff Bragg, I don’t want to appear unreasonable, but these are trying times, and we’d like to maintain our privacy. If you’ll just let me know what happened, we’d both be glad to look into it and report anything we find.”
The sheriff kicked at some loose gravel and then slowly approached the gate. He lowered his voice, forcing Ryan and Cort to come closer.
“Okay, here’s the deal,” he began. “An old couple who owns the farm immediately adjacent to your property reported a stolen vehicle a little while ago. We wanted to canvass the area quickly in the event we could locate it and the thief before they got away. I, um, understand that you’ve got a lot of new faces around here, and I thought, well, maybe somebody knew something.”
“Sheriff, I can assure you that none of these fine people are car thieves,” said Ryan reassuringly. “In fact, we have more cars than we need. Heck, with the gas shortages being reported, all of our cars may be replaced by the horse and buggy soon.”
